Assault suspect guilty of fleeing

Jury takes 90 minutes to reach its decision on Burr Ridge man

A Cook County jury deliberated for 90 minutes Wednesday before convicting a Burr Ridge man of fleeing to Serbia to avoid his pending rape trial.

Adrian Missbrenner, 20, showed no emotion as the guilty verdict was read in the Bridgeview courtroom of Judge Robert Smierciak.

Missbrenner was charged in December 2002 with the sexual assault of a 16-year-old Naperville girl, an incident recorded on videotape.

In September 2004, while out of jail on a $10,000 cash bond, he failed to appear at a pretrial court date. Police and prosecutors believed he had fled to Eastern Europe, where he has relatives.

Defense attorney Patrick Campanelli argued that his client wanted to return to the United States but remained in Serbia out of fear for his life. Missbrenner was afraid the Serbian mob would hold him for ransom or that Serbian police would capture him, Campanelli said.

"Come on, you can't believe that for one second," she told jurors. "His story is ridiculous, ludicrous." She noted that Missbrenner had eight months to arrange to return to the United States.

Missbrenner turned himself over to the FBI in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro, in May and was returned to Cook County. He has been in jail without bail since then.

Prosecutors tried him on the bail bond charge first, in a trial that began Monday. Trial on the assault charges is expected to be held by the end of the year.

On Wednesday, the jury of seven men and five women ordered lunch and began deliberations at noon. They reached a verdict at 1:30 p.m., before the food arrived.

After the verdict was read, Smierciak told jurors they could eat in the jury room or take their meals home.

Missbrenner faces up to 14 years in prison for the bail bond violation when he is sentenced Sept. 9.

Campanelli asked Smierciak to consider delaying the sentencing until after the sexual assault trial, but the judge said no.

Missbrenner's parents and four brothers were present for the trial. They held hands as the verdict was read but showed no other reaction.

They and Campanelli all declined to comment on the verdict, citing the pending sexual assault trial.

Supervising Assistant State's Atty. Peter Troy of the Bridgeview branch of Cook County Circuit Court said only, "We are satisfied and think it sends a message that the business of the court is preserved."

If convicted of the aggravated criminal sexual assault charge, Missbrenner would face up to 30 years in prison. Plea negotiations, for both the bail bond and sexual assault charges, failed to produce an agreement before Wednesday's conviction.

Several members of the Naperville girl's family also attended the trial, and they also declined to comment on the verdict. George Acosta, a private attorney representing the family, said the family is continuing to pursue a civil lawsuit against the Missbrenner family. The alleged sexual assault occurred in the Missbrenners' Burr Ridge home.

Three other teens were charged in connection with the Dec. 7, 2002, incident.

Christopher Robbins, 20, of Brookfield was acquitted of sexual assault charges by a jury this spring; Sonny Smith, 20, of Brookfield pleaded guilty to operating the video camera and was sentenced to five months in boot camp; and the fourth defendant, Burim Bezeri, 20, of Lyons remains a fugitive.